Summer 2004

Students solve various real-world projects

By Dale Long

Aaron Bruce was smiling almost immediately after being set into the driver’s seat of a used Dixie Chopper riding lawn mower that had been modified to allow the disabled 15-year-old boy to improve his self-confidence.

Aaron’s parents, Bill and Tina Bruce, were also smiling, along with Parke Lucas, a 1997 mechanical engineering graduate, and territorial manager of Dixie Chopper.

All those smiles brought a sense of satisfaction to the four Rose-Hulman Institute of Technology 2004 mechanical engineering graduates who had completed the project as a precursor to their careers.

“We were excited to play a part in helping (Aaron) realize that he could make a valuable contribution to the community,” stated Ron Nicholls. Other members of the design team were Drew Lyons, Chris Nordyke and Michael Bergfeld.

Aaron Bruce has suffered from spina bifida since birth and is paralyzed from the waist down. His parents sought a device that would allow Aaron to participate in an aspect of life not previously open to him. The students studied several options before settling on the lawn mower.

Modifications allow Bruce to mow using hand controls, instead of the customary foot controls. The manual blade engagement was replaced with an electric clutch, allowing the teen to engage the mower blades with the flip of a switch. Dixie Chopper also donated an electric clutch assembly. A seat belt and roll cage were added to the mower as safety precautions.

“Aaron has always wanted to feel a part of the family and helping around home,” Tina Bruce stated. “This mower allows him to do that and possibly earn money by cutting other lawns in our neighborhood.”

The mower modification was among several projects completed during the 2003-2004 academic year by Rose-Hulman students as part of senior-year Capstone design initiatives for industry and corporate clients, and not-for-profit organizations.

A collaboration between electrical and computer engineering students from Rose-Hulman and Florida Institute of Technology resulted in the Wireless Patient Management System, a wireless network of electrical devices and computer databases that could make it easier for doctors to identify and retrieve patient information at large health-care facilities.

Three teams of Rose-Hulman students developed a system that uses RF Identification (RFID) tags, embedded in a patient's bracelet, to uniquely identify each person in a hospital. A Personal Data Assistant (PDA), iPAQ or TabletPC handheld computers would be used by doctors and nurses to retrieve the patient’s records for viewing and editing. Wireless networking provides connectively to a database server containing patient records. A Web interface allows those records to be edited from any network personal computer.

The wireless patient system someday could replace the current paper-and-pen medical board and patient information system, according to Fred Berry, head of the Department of Electrical and Computer Engineering. Use of the handheld device, with wireless capabilities, may also provide more time for doctors to provide individual attention to patients.

In another project, four students constructed a mock-up of an automobile that is being used in the rehabilitation unit of Terre Haute’s Union Hospital to assist knee, hip and leg patients who need to practice getting into and out of automobiles. The door, door frame, seat and dashboard were used from a salvaged automobile to create the device, which has protective covers on all edges and added weight to improve stability.

Other inventive projects completed this past year inculded:

Cellular Car Alarm: A prototype was developed that will call a person's cell phone when his/her car alarm has been activated in case of a theft, other emergency or just a false alarm. This will decrease response time and reduce alarm noise annoyance in a crowded parking lot. A unique aspect of the system is that the person can be contacted anywhere within receiving distance of a cellular telephone signal. So, a person traveling on business in California could be notified about the possible car theft. The person could then contact authorities, family members or friends in his hometown to check on the vehicle.

Web Content Management System: Computer science students designed a software-based content management system for the Southwest School Corporation of Sullivan County (Ind.) that has improved the ease in which employees can update the school corporation’s Web pages. The system allows parents to be better informed of upcoming school events and latest school news, download permission slips or order forms that students may have lost on the way home, and provides an e-mail link to teachers.

Bridge Replacement For Base Security: A civil engineering team designed two replacement bridges within the Naval Surface Warfare Center in Crane, Ind. The project required field reconnaissance to document current conditions and develop options for a replacement structure at each site. The selected solution was designed and developed to the extent that a contractor can execute the chosen design. The design captured first place honors in the American Society of Civil Engineers’ Indiana Student Project Presentation Competition.

Automated Feeding Device: A prototype of a feeding aid was designed for an eight-year-old child who suffers from arthrogryposis, a congenital disease. The child has limited mobility and range of motion in his arms and legs; therefore he can’t feed himself. The feeding device gives the child greater independence, self-confidence and the ability to eat solid food, without assistance from his parents or school teachers.

Clock Synchronization: Students designed a wireless system that allows all digital clocks around a house, commercial or industrial environment to stay synchronized, provided each clock has the designed apparatus. Each embedded clock sets itself to the time of the master clock. The device can be very handy following a power outage or when multiple clocks have to be reset for daylight savings time.

Alternative Design for Wheelchair Manipulation: Modifications were made to a wheelchair that will allow a person to move using simple movements. A woman requested the device after suffering injuries in an automobile accident. She can only use one arm and has experienced great difficulty moving her wheelchair with one hand at work or in her backyard. The device utilizes bicycle hand brakes, two slide manipulators from file cabinet drawers and a four-bar linkage system on the wheelchair.

Automatic Dartboard Scoring: A system of three visible lasers, polygonal scanning mirrors, inexpensive lenses and light sensors detect the dart’s position after it sticks on a game board. Using that position, a score is calculated using computer software implemented on a PIC microcontroller.

Theater Office System: A relational, menu-driven database computer system was adapted by computer science and software engineering students for the Community Theatre of Terre Haute. The new system will help staff members manage data for ticket sales, financial matters, advertising, marketing and fund-raising.